Jet air circulator



Oct. 8, 1963 B. coNEs 3,106,147

- JET AIR CIRCULATOR Filed June` 5. '.1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 :EEN ENEE ATTDRNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 8, 1963 Filed Jue 5, 1961 TPI 5'-- 3 IINVENTUQ A E EN CU N E5 www m ATTRNEY Oct. 8, 1963 B. coNl-:s

JET AIR cRcuLA'roR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 5. 1961 ATTURNEY United States Patent 3,106,147 JET AIR CIRCULATGR Ben Cones, 5130 Pleasant Run Parkway, N. Drive, Indianapolis, Ind. Filed June 5, 1961, Ser. No. 115,010 Claims. (Cl. 98-38) This invention relates to the art of Ventilating a space, and finds particular use in public buildings in general and specifically in school rooms where there are requirements that the air be circulated within the room, and not only that, but that in the circulation, there be added to the `circulation at least one-third by volume of fresh or primary air to the two-thirds of room air.

The invention herein set forth resides in the provision of a mechanical means for controlling this circulation of air and the addition of the fresh or primary air. It is a primary object of this invention to insure the air circulation and to insure the proper addition of the fresh air in a very simple but most effective manner, and at the same time confine the apparatus required within the normal flue which is employed to receive air from near the floor of the room and discharge that air near the ceiling of the room in the circulation of that room air. It is the more or less positive control of the circulation and the proper air additive which is most important and which operation is adequately controlled by this invention.

These and many other objects and advantages of the invention including the extreme simplicity of the structure embodying the invention; the ease for varying the operation of the apparatus in accordance with atmospheric conditions as well as room occupancy, all as will be better understood by those versed in the art in the following description of one particular form of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a View in vertical section through a flue within which the apparatus of the invention is placed and shown in fragmentary section;

FIG. 2 is a view in transverse, horizontal section on the line 2-2 in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a view in front elevation and partial section of the lower end of the flue and apparatus therewith; and

FIG. 4 is a view on a large scale and in partial section of plenum chamber discharging portion as shown on a reduced scale in FIG. 1.

A room generally designated by the numeral is provided with a lfue generally designated by the numeral 11 at one side of the room to extend normally from the room oor 12 to the ceiling 13. The ilue 11 in the usual construction will have a back wall 14 which may be the structural wall of the building, and have a front enclosing wall 15. A lower opening 16 is provided in the wall 15, herein shown as adjacent the floor 12, and is provided preferably with a guard or grille 17 through which air may readily pass into the lower end of the flue 11. The ilue 11 also has adjacent the ceiling 13, a second opening 18 which is normally covered over with a guard or a grille 19. The purpose of the flue 11 is to receive air through the opening 16 and to discharge air in the ilue through the opening 18 back into the room 10.

In order to provide the required proportioning of fresh or primary air, the ue 11 may selectively have either an air intake opening 20 in the floor 12, or an outdoor opening 21 through the wall 14, it being immaterial insofar as the present invention is concerned whether or not the air is taken through the bottom opening 20 or the side opening 21, the important factor being that air be available through either one or both of these openings from the outside of the building, or at least from through a conduit leading from the outside. Also the air entering through either of the openings 20 or 21 may be heated or ice 2 cooled as occasion by demand, or may be taken directly from the atmosphere at the temperature existing.

So much structure is in common usage and is well known and need not further be described.

The invention herein set forth is added to this structure for positive use thereof.

A housing generally designated by the numeral 22 is in the nature of a box provided with side and back open areas in communication with the openings 20 and 21 if both exist, or only one of them if there be but one. This housing or box 22 entirely closes off the entrance of the fresh air into the iiue 11. For example, a box housing 22 has a lower opening designated by the numeral 23 over the floor opening 20. If the opening 21 is used, then the housing 22 will have the opening 24 registering therewith.

Some means for-moving air at a predetermined velocity is mounted within the housing 22. In the form herein shown, there are two blowers 2S and 26 mounted axially to have a drive motor 27 carried therebetween for simultaneous driving of both blowers. These, in the present showing, are axial air inlet blowers discharging tangentially of the blower.

The blowers discharge into a common plenum chamber 28 which extends entirely across the inside of the housing 22. This plenum chamber 28 is inclined from the blowers 25 and 26 upwardly and toward the side of the housing 22 nearest the flue wall 15. As is to be noted, FIG. l, the housing 22 terminates back of the opening 16 a substantial distance so that air may enter the flue without substantial interference through the opening 16. The plenum chamber 28 opens through the topside of the housing 22 by anozzle 35 by a top end as at 29, by two separate paths. One of these paths extends laterally across the entire width of the chamber 28, leading therefrom by a lower end portion 31 somewhat above the entrance of the air from the blowers into the chamber. This passageway 30 would, for example, in one particular size of ue namely sixteen inches wide, be sixteen inches by two and one-half inches in opening. As is to be noted in FIG. 1, this passageway 30 follows the inclination of the plenum chamber, 28 the major distance of the passage length, but

near the top wall 32 of the housing 22, the passageway 30 turns abruptly and vertically upwardly by a short length 30a.

A damper 33 is hinged by a lower end at 34 adjacent the lower end of the passageway 30, and outside thereof. This damper 33 is hinged -at its lower end to drop under inuence by gravity and a light spring 33a from under the wall 41 of the passageway 30 to the opposite side wall 35 of the plenum chamber 28eso as effectively block olf any discharge from the plenum chamber 28 outside of the passageway 30, until the damper 33 has been rocked from the solid line position to the dash line position as indicated in FIG. 1 when flow of air from the plenum chamber 28 is had to lift the damper 33 by air pressure. 1 This damper 33 controls the admission of air, that is the primary air, to within the flue 11 to not only supply that primary air, but to induce a circulation of air from the room through the opening 16 and back out the opening 18. Thus the damper 33 must be provided with some means for limiting the degree of its opening of the passageway 36 in order to control this air circulation and the intermixing with the fresh air. Any suitable means may be provided for this positioning of the damper 33, one such means Vbeing herein shown as a screw or bolt 37 screwthreadedly passing `through a nut 40 fixed on the damper 33 to extend therethrough by a selected length forming an abutment against the wall 41. 'Ihis bolt 37 is concealed within the box :22 and access to it may be had through a door 43 on the wall 39 of the box. By use of this bolt 37, the air pressure may swing the damper until the bolt 37 strikes the wall`4l. The damper being always in an inclined position across the passageway 36, tends to drop upon sufficient reduction in air pressure under it so that all admittance of fresh air is cut off when the motor 27 stops.

A tail piece 44 is fixed on the lower end of the damper 33 to close oft the lower end of the passageway 30 when the damper 33 closes off the primary passageway 36. This tail damper 44 is curved to extend somewhat across the entry -to .the passageway and this aids in tunneling air into the passageway 30. Thus when air is being delivered primarily through the passageway 36, some air will discharge from the passageway 30 into the flue il, the purpose of which arrangement being to prevent eddying of the air currents over the top of the box 22 entering the base of the flue 1l from the room entrance 16 and the fresh air from the passageway.

In operation, the two blowers and 26 will be in constant operation driven by the motor 27 so that air is being discharged into the flue 11 from the blowers and hence from a supply of fresh air at all times. Normally the discharge of these blowers through the plenum chamber may be around 2,000 cubic feet per minute. This will give the required velocity of -air for the required circulation through the iiue 11 and the damper 33 will be held in its open position, that is an open condition of -the passageway 29, some air being delivered by the blowers through -the restricted jet passageway 30, this passageway 3i) taking on the nature of a slit-like jet directed substantially vertically andcentrally of the flue 11. Under air ilow from the passageway 36 there will be air induced to flow into the flue 11 by reason of the discharge of the air through the upper opening 18 into the room 10. Then as this air is flowing upwardly through the flue 1l, it becomes intermingled with the discharge of air from the passage 36, and is quite thoroughly intermixed as between the room air and the fresh air so that a proper proportioning of fresh air to room air is set up within the flue with no appreciable eddying and discharge from the flue opening 18.

Not shown, because it is common practice, in a remote part of the roorn l0, there will be a discharge of room air into some suitable conduit so that the fresh air may be introduced from the maintenance of the proper room air mixture.

When under certain conditions there is not suflicient air introduced through the passage 36, then the damper 33 will be adjusted to allow it to open wider and permit the air to enter through the passageway 29 in order to maintain the proper velocity of air through the flue 11. As is to be noted in FlG. l, the structure within the housing 22 is supported by a plate 42 hanging from the top wall 32 of the housing 22 and engaging with the discharge portion of the blowers 2S and 26.

Thus the primary functioning of the invention provides the main air discharge from the passageway 36 which is the means for inducing the air flow through the ue 11 `at an even rate, and when this discharge is not sufficient or is in excess of the rate desired, the bolt 37 is adjusted for more or less plenum ichamber discharge, and the passageway is accordingly opened and closed, all in a manner which will properly introduce the primary air in proportion to that as required of the room air, doing so with a minimumof apparatus and yet with a positiveness which must be had for fully successful operation. The distribution of the discharge of the air flow entirely across the flue 1l is also important in the circulation as has been described. p

Therefore while I have described my invention in the 4 one particular form herein shown, it is obvious that structural changes may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, `and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

l. The combination with a room having a door and a ceiling; and

a room air circulating flue adapted to extend vertically from the room floor toward the ceiling, and having a room air return opening in the flue adjacent the floor of the room and an outlet opening into the roorn adjacent the ceiling;

air blower means having an intake for receiving fresh air from outside said room;

a plenum chamber;

said blower means discharging fresh air into said plenum chamber;

said chamber being within said flue and inclined upwardly, toward, and terminating in an open end fixed above the upper margin of and spaced inwardly of the ue air return opening;

a wall in said chamber following the inclination thereof and extending from a lower end intermediate said blower means and said chamber open end and dividing said chamber into upper and lower passageways, one of smaller cross-sectional area than the other, both of said passageways discharging from said chamber open end;

-a damper in said other passageway hinged to a lower portion of said wall adjacent its said end and normally falling under influence of gravity across and closing said other passageway;

said smaller area passageway discharging through the chamber open end into said flue between said other passageway discharge and the side of the line opposite said room air return opening.

2. The structure of claim l in which there is a tail piece on said damper at its hinge end swinging with the damper, closing andopening said one passageway as said other passageway is opened and iclosed by the damper.

3. The structure of claim l, in which said other passageway opens into the flue between the opening of said one passageway and a wall of the ue in which is said room air return opening.

4. The structure of claim 3, in which the upper discharge end portion of said one passageway is vertically disposed.

5. The structure of claim l, in which there is a housing within said ilue extending thereacross at the floor level and having a top wall and a room side closed wall extending vertically to the top level of and spaced back from said room air return opening;

said housing top wall extending back from said top side wall, closingV off the top side of said housing from said flue, and having an opening through which said chamber discharge portion end discharges; and

said blower means, said plenum chamber, and said discharge portion are within saidv housing.

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1 g v Sept. l, 1,932 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A ROOM HAVING A FLOOR AND A CEILING; AND A ROOM AIR CIRCULATING FLUE ADAPTED TO EXTEND VERTICALLY FROM THE ROOM FLOOR TOWARD THE CEILING, AND HAVING A ROOM AIR RETURN OPENING IN THE FLUE ADJACENT THE FLOOR OF THE ROOM AND AN OUTLET OPENING INTO THE ROOM ADJACENT THE CEILING; OF AIR BLOWER MEANS HAVING AN INTAKE FOR RECEIVING FRESH AIR FROM OUTSIDE SAID ROOM; A PLENUM CHAMBER; SAID BLOWER MEANS DISCHARGING FRESH AIR INTO SAID PLENUM CHAMBER; SAID CHAMBER BEING WITHIN SAID FLUE AND INCLINED UPWARDLY, TOWARD, AND TERMINATING IN AN OPEN END FIXED ABOVE THE UPPER MARGIN OF AND SPACED INWARDLY OF THE FLUE AIR RETURN OPENING; A WALL IN SAID CHAMBER FOLLOWING THE INCLINATION THEREOF AND EXTENDING FROM A LOWER END INTERMEDIATE SAID BLOWER MEANS AND SAID CHAMBER OPEN END AND DIVIDING SAID CHAMBER INTO UPPER AND LOWER PASSAGEWAYS, ONE OF SMALLER CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THAN THE OTHER, BOTH OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS DISCHARGING FROM SAID CHAMBER OPEN END; A DAMPER IN SAID OTHER PASSAGEWAY HINGED TO A LOWER PORTION OF SAID WALL ADJACENT ITS SAID END AND NORMALLY FALLING UNDER INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY ACROSS AND CLOSING SAID OTHER PASSAGEWAY; SAID SMALLER AREA PASSAGEWAY DISCHARGING THROUGH THE CHAMBER OPEN END INTO SAID FLUE BETWEEN SAID OTHER PASSAGEWAY DISCHARGE AND THE SIDE OF THE FLUE OPPOSITE SAID ROOM AIR RETURN OPENING. 